Saturday, October 27, 2012

With the availability of so many ready to run grain wagons now, how to weather them correctly for my time period is on my list of things to do. With the chance to see some of these wagons in the flesh at Gunnedah awaiting there turn to go through the Manildra plant there just recently,It makes me happy I'm not modelling modern era with the state the wagons are in . Makes you wonder what image the company is trying to present of its organisation to general public could be the old
( We Don't Give a Shit )

Sunday, October 7, 2012

It all started with a innocent question about Spirits of Salts,which apparently is used, among other things to make visible ,engine numbers which have previously been removed.
Why would you remove an engine number ?
Arnt they there for a reason ?.
But on explaining what I knew of Spirits of Salts .I thought I should check up on my knowledge by consulting The Modern Plumber & Sanitary Engineer 1907 edition ( I like to keep up with all new trends in the industry.)
And a few other interesting things where revealed which I will share with you ,but first to set the scene some photos of the internal construction of the elevated water tank at the northern end of the platform at Deepwater .Which was used for watering engine's as they stood at the platform before proceeding to Bolivia and parts beyond namely the border with the enchanted land ,paradise ,nirvana,or as you may know it Queensland.
If you ever go to the enchanted lands just be a little bit careful with the locals they tend to have a nasty chip on there shoulder,anyone chanting Queenslander-Queenslander should not be approached,avoid eye contact and notify the Police or the local psychiatric ward for help !

Corner view of bolt pattern with cast in strengthening in base plate.These plates are of a common dimension and can be used for base or side walls.Bent steel section on left is float arm

Inlet float valve with float arm bent down and missing the float which when raise with the water level gradually closes the valve and stops the water flowing in.Top right is section of level gauge bracket.
Plus top brace with turnbuckle for tightening.

View along length of top brace

Outlet stopper to main swivel arm shown in closed position

Spare outlet

Top brace attachment and also just visible 2 bolts down now rusted off bracing that went down to tank floor attachment point.

Top edge profile of water tank edge with regularly placed holes to suit bracing positions and joining of other panels depending on where panel is placed during construction.

Outlet from base of tank to engine watering arm that swivels to be over tender.Shaft entering base of bend is connected to the control wheel at ground level and as turned raises the stopper off the seat of the outlet valve and releases the water flow .The oval plate with 2 bolts and nuts is the stuffing box assembly which seals the shaft from leaking

Water inlet pipe connected into side wall ,Inside tank inlet is fitted with a float valve

Swivel arm of jib with brace that supports weight to top wall of tank Leather riveted hose has long gone leaving only top connected to outlet bend.

Control wheel for water outlet to swivel jib

Exerts from The modern Plumber and Sanitary Engineer 1907 edition.

Which when these tanks where being constructed (1917 is cast into pipe elbow) would of been the bible for construction techniques used for the sealing of these cast panel tanks and pipes.

Sal Ammoniac was also used in block form around the size as a 250g block of butter, usually held in a lead tray to stop breakages (Bust the Sal Ammoniac and see how much trouble you can get yourself into) This was used to clean and tin soldering irons by rubbing the iron on the Sal Ammoniac block while applying solder.

The other water column fed from the tank is located at the end of the platform .Which can be used as a single fill or in conjunction with the jib on the water tank to fill double headers.This column has a pipe connected into the side of the stand pipe which when the water is turned on to fill a tender allows the pipe to run water to drain over the bottom grate.And when the water is turned off it drains the water in the stand pipe down below the swivel joint section to avoid the joint freezing in place during the colder nights of the Northern Tablelands winter.Which would make it impossible to move and water an engine.

And for anyone still reading and interested in this old nonsense . The following to help with any Trivial Pursuit question regarding Smudge

I would presume the beer is added to the mixture and not the Plumber !

About Me

I was born at a very early age.Learning to walk ,talk and ultimately to control my bodily functions.Which appears to be slowly slipping away from me.
Maturing into a ruggedly handsome man.Some would say almost to perfect for my own good.
I have an identical twin brother,The evil one who does lots of bad and stupid things ,and the trouble is lots of people assume this is me .But its actually my identical twin,I curse the day he was born.